All about animation

Animation is one of the best ways you can draw attention to a particular part of your web page where an important message lies. For example, there are several sites today which uses an animated banner saying “HOT!” to draw their readers away from the text towards whatever you want them to see, for example, the latest discounted products or the newest book released. Others also use a glistening log for “email us” or “specials”.

One thing you need to keep in mind when using animation is that there will always be an overhead or delay in loading the page. For example, with an animated gif image (an image constructed using multiple still frames and saved as a single file), instead of a seamless movement, the frames can become apparent when viewed in a slower connection.

Like audio, animation needs to be used appropriately. Use it to enhance the website in a meaningful way. Some designers recommend animations only for websites which cater to a corporate target audience since most of these people do not have the time to go through each of the pages of the site to find the information that they need. One rule of thumb when it comes to animation is this: “if in doubt, cut it out”.

8 rules for using graphics

The main goal of a web page is communication. When words are not enough to get the message across, you can use pictures and other graphics. As a web designer, you are a communicator first, an artist second. It is your job to create pages that look good and can send messages clearly. If you are planning to add other elements in your web design, follow these rules to minimize, if not eliminate, clutter in the pages.

• If you’re going to put an image, you need to make sure that it has a purpose. Does it illustrate the message you want understood? Can it contribute to your purpose?
• Make your fonts legible, for some web designers, 7 to 10 words on a single line can be too much.
• Highlight the important parts of the page. That’s why italics, bold and underline were invented, so make sure you use them when needed.
• Use the best images possible, the fewer of them, the better.
• Charts and tables can sometimes communicate the message better than blocks of text. Use them especially when you’re dealing with groups of people who are in a hurry.
• Make your sites standout so your readers can remember them as well. Use daring colors if you want, but always remember compatibility.
• Simple designs are easier to understand than complicated ones. One to two column designs are easier for most readers to comprehend.
• Lastly, sometimes, it is best to hire a professional if you want the best looking website. A branding manager can help enhance your presence on the web while a marketing guru and bring help bring in the traffic you need.

Graphics and fonts on a webpage

Today we’re going to talk about other basic principles of design such as graphics and layout. If you love using them on your site, then you ought to know these simple tips to avoid annoyance of your readers.

Graphics should not be larger than 12 kb since bigger graphics can make the page pull up slowly, yes, even when you are running a T1 line. Slow pages is one of the ways you can lose a potential client. Aside from this, you should also use graphics that fit the content. So if you are talking about colon cleansing, don’t put up a picture of your dog, unless it has a connection with the text.

What kind of fonts are you going to use? It is best to stick with serif for headlines and sans serif for text. Sans serif fonts are easier to read on computer screens.

I know there are so many fancy fonts you can download today but you will need to limit the number of fonts used on a site. if you keep changing their design are amateurs so try using 2 or 3 standard font families which are easy to read and looks professional. Some standard fonts you can use are Verdana, Arial and Helvetica.

Top 10 tips for a better website

We all know how important a webpage is in today’s time. We also know how important it is to have a great web design. Now, the question is, how can you make a great website where visitors can visit over and over? Here are top 10 tips to make your site more popular and user friendly.

1. Know your audience and keep them in mind when you make a web design, or even when you write. If your target audiences are teens, make your site fun to read, give them trivia that they will enjoy.
2. Keep your pages short. In order to minimize scrolling and readers can get your message at first reading, a good screen size you can use is 640 pixels wide and 480 tall.
3. Jakob Nielsen has proven through his surveys – only 10% of users will scroll beyond the first screen of text. If you can only have a short first page, make sure it’s already your table of contents.
4. Large images takes a long time to download and can annoy some internet users. This is why it is best to use smaller images.
5. Use browser safe colors to ensure that your readers will see the page and images you intend them to see.
6. Avoid lots of text. Unless you are running a blog, people don’t read the text. Most times, they just skim over it.
7. Use a spell checker, everytime.
8. Make sure your links are still valid. Running a link checker will make your life a lot easier.
9. Annotate your links so people know exactly why you love another website.
10. The web is dynamic and interactive. If there are comments and suggestions about your blog, you should have a contact form they can use to contact you directly.

Three things you need to consider when creating a logo

Before any logo is created, there are several questions that a logo design company will need to answer. Some of the most basic questions are: “who is the client?”, “who is the audience?” and “what is needed?” Every design teacher reiterates: the problem should dictate the solution, rather than imposing an idea into a problem. A logo should organically provide the answers to these questions. All too often, logo design companies ignore this because it can be interpreted to mean that a designer’s vision will be sublimated in order to obediently follow the client. While this may be true to some extent, it also means that information must be gathered in order for a creative work to be created – all in the control of the designer.

Who is the client? This question basically tried to determine the company’s values, goals and attitudes. By knowing what these are, a designer can very easily create a logo which communicates these to their intended audience. Who are the audience? Is the company manufacturing products for athletic women or young professionals? Who makes the final decision in approving this logo? The logo you will be designing needs to appeal to all these people in order for it to work.

You will also need to consider your client’s long term plan and whether the logo you are going to create will be timeless – will it still deliver the same message after 10 years?

What is a Logo?

If we use the dictionary, the answer to this question is pretty simple: “it is a distinct symbol of a company, object, publication, person, service or idea. It is usually found at the bottom of a television or the top of a cereal box.

But the term “logo” itself has many complex meanings and there are a number of words used to describe it. A logo can also be a “mark”, “trademark” or even a “signature”. You can also use the terms “woodmark” (a company name with the proprietary letterforms, e.g. Mobil, which uses the Pegasus logo), “symbol” (e.g. the Nike swoosh, the Apple’s apple and the CBS eye) and a “monogram” (letters which are used to denote a brand such as GE and WE).

Logos are used to differentiate a company for their competition and provide clear identification. Through frequent viewing of these logos, you can create a special relationship with your audience. You can now communicate your company’s mission, vision and goals, giving you greater credibility and more merchandising opportunities.

A brand name is the perception of the audience about your company. This is not something you can ask another company to do for you. A logo is not the brand name associated with the product and service you are offering; it is a combination of typeface, colors and imagery unique for your company.

Why do you need a logo?

Man’s claim for ownership is an inherent trait. We carve our initials in trees, sign our drawings, all in the attempt to protect our identities. This is the same reason why we use a logo for our businesses – to redefine our motives and make our individual goals become the goals of a collective.

The need for a logo is not a new invention, but is something that can be traced as far back as the Mesopotamians and Egyptians. From porcelains to printed books, logos remained a standard, though it can be found in different forms. The usage of trademarks as we know them today started in the 1950s, when multinational corporations started offering a wide range of products and needed a tool to maintain a cohesive message. For example, the ABC network meant “clear and cohesive advertising and communications”. This was symbolized by the use of negative space, combined in a simple circle.

Today, the need for a logo hasn’t changed but its role has now evolved. With the web 2.0 and greater communication enabled by the internet, we now place a strong emphasis on teamwork and the creative process. Logos are no longer just about communicating with an audience, but rather, it serves as a visual support mechanism for the team. By allowing everyone to identify with their groups, things can now be done more effectively, if not efficiently.

How do you achieve color harmony?

Using colors on a website helps add interest to an otherwise boring page. Learning about color schemes is much easier than what most people think, fact is, it’s almost like kindergarten, when you started studying about the color wheel! To create visually appealing web pages, you will need to review basic color theory in order to get color harmony. There are three kinds of combinations which make colors blend together beautifully.

• Analogous colors: these are the colors which are next to each other on the color wheel. Green, yellow green and yellow are analogous colors, so are red, red-orange and orange. Play with the different saturations of analogous colors for a more pleasing effect.
• Complementary colors: these are colors which are opposite each other on the color wheel such as blue and orange or red and green. When you use complementary colors, you can create schemes which have a high contrast, which makes them so much brighter and vivid.
• Color triads: imagine a triangle on the color wheel. Some of these triads include red, yellow and blue, green, purple and orange. Using color triads will help you create color schemes which are full of life.

One of the best inspirations for color harmony is nature. The different colors you see in nature such as green, yellow, brown, blue, red and many others, are typically harmonious despite the fact that they don’t go together according to color theory.

Color theory and the use of browser safe colors

When you are using color for your website, you need to understand that while your screen might show the background as light green, another monitor can interpret it as grey and it all depends on the setting that the monitor uses. Some monitors are on 24-bit and while your monitor shows color palette #dddddd as light grey, an 8-bit might interpret it as goblin green. This is because #dddddd is not a browser safe color. Now, if you want your page to look the same every time for any monitor, consider using browser safe colors, there are actually a number of them.

Now, when you’re building web pages that uses colors, it is very easy to setup a color scheme which clashes, making it difficult for readers to view for a longer time. By understanding color theory, you can understand how color can be more effectively used for your website. We all know that the primary colors are red, yellow and blue. Orange, green and purple are secondary colors and many other variants can be made when all these are combined. How do you combine all these so that your site will not burn the eyes of your readers? You will then need to learn about color harmony.

The use of color in web design

Color is a basic element of design but very few web designers realize that it is not a required element. A lot of great designs are done only with a touch of one color, the most famous of which is black and white.

Color in web design can be used in a number of ways: in backgrounds, text and foregrounds, images and accents. It is very easy to add to websites but and if you are new to CSS and webdesign, there are three style properties where you can add color”

• Color: for the font and text of the foreground
• Background-color: to change the color of the background element
• Border-color: change the color of the borders around the elements

The most common use of color is found in images. Those images which have millions of varying colors are usually in a JPEG format while those with flat colors are in GIF. When used properly, colors can add interest and vitality in an otherwise dull page. Use color to breathe life to your site but it is easy to overdo so make sure you learn the different symbolisms of color, and use browser-safe colors to that everyone can enjoy the beauty you created.

Using contrast in web design

Today we talk about contrast, which means the “accentuation of differences between elements”. When people hear the term “contrast” the first thing that comes to mind are colors such as black and white, but when it comes to web design, the use of contrasting colors can sometimes be overdone, so it is important to make subtle differences in different elements.

To incorporate contrast in your design you can try changing the fonts. Headlines usually have a lot of contrast surrounding the text – font size might be bigger than all the others and they could also be in bold. Sometimes, you can use a different font family to focus to direct your readers to the headline. Sometimes, you can use a different font family to focus to direct your readers to the headline.

Those who have anchor text in their content, the use of an underline is a great idea to identify the link from the rest of the content. Also, if a certain page focuses on the text, you can choose to make all the other elements such as images small, and the text size bigger.

One of the most common ways of showing contrast is through the use of a dark text over light background, sometimes it is done the other way around. Whatever method you use for your site, it is important that you aim for readability and ease on your readers’ eyes.

Visual flow and the use of images in web design

Two important aspects of web design in the flow in design are the kind of motion which is conveyed by the layout and the media used. This is usually called as the visual flow also defined as the way the several elements in a design are balanced so that one is prominent over all the others and no other element can overshadow. A lot of web designers use arrows to describe this flow but it can sometimes be misused and is way too obvious. Visual flow can be achieved in a number of ways.

If you are using media such as photos, adding sequential images or text elements can suggest visual flow. Sometimes you can also use animation to show movement. Some web designers use the sizes of object surrounding another object in directing human eyes to the focus of the website.

If you are using a photo featuring people, always make sure that the eyes in the photo face the content. Many eye tracking studies have shown that readers see the face on websites and they unconsciously follow the direction of the eyes to see what the picture is “looking at”. If you have ads, the best place to put it is right where the photo is looking at.

Three Web Design Boo-Boos You Should Avoid

In honor of the “recently concluded” Halloween, we’re going to talk about scary websites. Nope I’m not talking about content – I actually meant web designs which can be considered as the “Worst of the Web”. Instead of making people come back, they actually scare people away.

You need to understand that web designs are not meant to be scary – yes, even when it’s Halloween. Your site’s design should actually get your readers in the mood stay in your site. Therefore, it’s important that you keep in mind these common boo-boos and avoid losing visitors.

1. Unless you are a professional web designer, using black as background for white (or light) text color is not a good technique. In most cases it doesn’t work well, and can even look pretentious.
2. The use of black background for dark text is a definite no-no. It is difficult to read! Some of your readers might try to highlight the page, but a lot are not that patient.
3. Busy tiled background images are popular with new web designers these and very few of who use this design realize that it makes the page illegible. These also add to the download time, so unless you have a very good picture (or reason) to tile, don’t do it!

To Flash Or Not To Flash?

Many web designers consider Flash animation as an integral part of web advertising. Through Flash, it is now easy to create attractive banners with a targeted message – advertising has never been as visually compelling as it is today.

Two of the major factors that web owners consider in deciding whether to employ Flash or not in their web design are file size and search engine optimization. There are a couple of businesses online which used Flash and found that it wasn’t working for them. A lot of them had flash animation which were poorly designed and were sluggish and slow in pulling up. This is possibly because the Flash designer didn’t take the time to optimize the website Flash before finishing the work. We all know that internet users today do not wait more than 8 seconds for a website to show and if your Flash-driven page takes too much time to pull up, there will be a higher bounce and conversion rate.

Although Google and other search engines have already started indexing the embedded flash content on a site, there is still a long way to go before Flash sites can become SEO friendly. Fortunately, there are already a couple of professional web designers who have found a way to tag a Flash file so that search engines can find it. Also, the use of non vector fonts can help optimize Flash content.

The Importance Of Flash Animation

The convenience of the internet has enabled us to get information in just a few clicks. Now we can do our holiday shopping without going out of our homes, we can book our tickets without so much as talking to a travel agent.

But the internet has also allowed for greater completion among companies. From content to web design – all these are now a factor of profitability. With the millions of websites which are now online, more and more technology are being developed to capture the imagination of a greater number of people. Now it’s possible to enhance your brand’s image through movement, style and pizzaz – that’s the beauty of flash animation!

When used effectively, flash animation is visually stunning and can be used to create functional online and offline demos. Through custom made presentations, it is now possible for your clients to gain greater understanding of the products and services your company offers and its functionalities and what they can expect from your offers. Flash banners have also become a big part of internet advertising allowing moving graphics which are effective at generating clicks. Let your product speak for itself, use visually compelling presentation – use flash animation today and gain more clients!

How To Make Your Site More Accessible To The Disabled

Contrary to what many web design companies believe, there are lots of people with disabilities and mobility impairments who use the internet daily. While there isn’t much we can do about the hardware that these disabled people are using, there is a way you can design a website so that it is more accessible to them.

WebXact’s HTML checker redisplay’s your page into images with annotations which can help you determine which pages might be inaccessible to the disabled. It also checks for browser compatibility problems. Remember to check your site with WebXact so you know what improvements you need to do before you deploy it. Here are five common errors you will encounter:

1. No alternative text with images. Alt text helps people who use screen readers know what the images are. Also, some people view the internet with images off so that web pages can load faster. By having alt text on your site, you can help them choose which images they should view.
2. Not noframes version. A completely replicated noframes version is accessible for most browsers since it runs on any browser.
3. No text only links for pages which are heavy with images. Text loads faster and it would be helpful to include a text link. Aside from that, a text only site can help screen readers do their job more effectively.
4. Audio and movie files have no descriptive text. Audio files may be a help to the blind but these are inaccessibly to the deaf. On the other hand, movie files are more helpful to the deaf but can be of no use to the blind. This is why descriptive texts are important - it allows these files to be accessible to more people.

How can you use whitespace to change your site’s tone?

Often, when we are building web pages and customizing our web design, we usually focus on the fonts, colors and images. Most cases we forget about the “whitespace” between the elements. In design, whitespace is the negative space between the elements, but many web designers think of whitespace as an empty space – the space that could be filled with content to get people to read, click and buy. But it is more than just that. The whitespace also sets the tone of your design and can affect the usability of the site dramatically.

Whitespace is defined by characters that doesn’t print anything when you type them, for example, tab, space, and return. It is also the spaces around the elements of the design which helps them standout. It includes the spaces in the margins, and the padding around the pictures and text. It is also the spaces between the lines of text and letters and can sometimes be called as kerning. Although named whitespace, it doesn’t really have to be white – it is basically the background of the design. Now imagine a webpage without a whitespace, how would it look like?

In web design, using lots of whitespace can convey an elegant tone and a more down market tone. Now, try playing around with the whitespace in your site – how does it change the tone of your site?

Lines – A Basic Element Of Design

Lines are used to add style to a design – they enhance comprehension and readability. Lines are sometimes used as borders or they can become dividers between other elements. In web design, lines can also be used as contours around elements and as a decoration.

If you wish to add lines to your web design, there are three ways you can do so:

• Add the

---

tag for horizontal lines in web page documents. You can also style the

---

tag for better looking lines.
• CSS also provides several ways to add borders to elements.
• Images can also be used as lines and borders to create a decorative effect.

A line’s function in design may be that basic, but it’s definitely one of the most important elements of design. It gives“punctuation” in your design, emphasizing the whole page. These lines also add up color to a page. Just imagine a plain paper with no lines as borders, wouldn’t the paper look too plain? The same thing happens in a web page, without lines, it can look a little too bland. A lot of famous and wonderful websites around the net actually have striking web designs and they really play with lines to make their site catchy.

The Connection Between SEO And Web Design

If you are engaged in the internet business then it is almost definite that you’ve heard about internet marketing. Today, this is a primary tool for promoting business – it is considered as the fastest and most effective ways of reaching customers.

Did you know that there’s a connection between web design in North California and internet marketing? Whether you have your site designed by professionals or you did it yourself with FrontPage or other software, it is important for you to realize that your web design has a huge impact in your ability to compete with other sites. Here are a few elements you need to incorporate with your marketing strategy:

· You need to determine what kind of website you need. Some will only need an online brochure while others will need an inventory list. Some sites will need an interactive menu. There are lots of software that can help you make an inventory and a brochure. Several webhosts offer free templates. But if you need an interactive menu, you might need professional web designers for your site.

· A website needs to look professional, especially if you’re in it for the long haul. You need a company logo, a mission-vision statement, or other forms of your company’s identity. Branding is the key term here.

· SEO and web design go together, especially when we are talking about META tags. You want Meta keywords, and Meta descriptions to attract search engines but you need a natural approach so that all the information you need to put on your site doesn’t crowd it.

How Do You Know That A Site Is Made By A Professional?

Too many web design companies California claim that they have professionals working on your site. For those who have been in the internet business, discerning whether a site is made by a professional or an amateur is much easier. Unfortunately, if you are a newbie, this can be a huge task.

For me, one obvious giveaway that a site was made by an amateur is when all of the text on the site is centered. For some reason, people think that having the text on the center is the way to go. Today, there are a lot of automated web design tools but these work as templates and will have several limitations.

Professional web design is composed of four elements – contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity (that’s why they call it designing with CRAP). The use of contrast makes various elements of the page stand out from each other. Dark text on a light background is usually used. Bold or italicized text is also used.

Repeating similar elements together lets the viewer know that they belong together. Pages of the same site usually have the same heading – this lets you know that you haven’t left the site. Another example is when the navigation panel is always on the same side of the page.

Alignment, just like repetition lets you know that elements of the website belong together. It also has a soothing effect to the reader as it shows organization and order.

Lastly, but nonetheless as important – proximity means placing elements that belong together near each other while those which differ are far apart. These are visual clues which give you clues that a website was made by a professional. Before you decide to hire a company which offers great web design in California, check out their portfolio and see if the CRAP elements are there.

What’s The Importance of A Good Web Design?

Do you wonder why so many people need a successful web design firm to prepare their sites in California? According to a study conducted by researchers from the Carleton University, internet users form an impression of a website in the first 1/20^th second they see it. They create opinions about your site based on the aesthetic value of your web design. This ultimately means that your chosen web firm in Los Angeles has a big role in the success of your website and all online businesses.

As an owner of an online business you need to know what things that makes up a good design. In a time where competition is at its height, the beauty of your web design is just one of the factors. Imagery and fancy flash animation isn’t what internet users are looking for.

Most internet users prefer to interact with websites which have a professional web design appeal. You can tell an amateur site from a professional one based on a number of factors. An amateur site contains a lot of clutter making it difficult to distinguish a page element from another. Some websites use colors which are too bright that it sometimes hurt the eyes. A website created by a professional has a flow – all page elements belong together and colors are used to highlight important points.

Is it possible to build a website on a tight budget?

Working on a tight budget? For many entrepreneurs who have a small budget for their ventures, hiring a professional web design company in California is out of the question. Never mind that people keep saying that a good web design sells, what’s important is that they get to build a website and start their businesses.

But this is a definite mistake, especially with competition getting tighter every day. If you are thinking of putting up a web site, keep this in mind – a good web design in Los Angeles goes places. Not because you are working with a professional web design company Los Angeles doesn’t mean you have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars. Fact is, it is possible to create a website on a small budget. Here is a checklist of your must-do’s:

1. Know who your customers are.

2. Research keywords related to your site and decide what you want to use.

3. Plan your website carefully.

4. Get a proven effective content management system.

5. Get a website template.

6. Improve your template’s usability.

7. Make the template accessible.

8. Invest on good content.

9. Promote your site.

When we talk about template, we don’t actually mean grabbing the first free template you get. Basically, you need to ensure that your pages have the same appearance (hence the term “template”) and improve on the page elements through simple HTML or CSS if you know how. Ensuring that you have a search bar or a navigation panel can help aid your visitors find what they need.

Why Get Professional Web Designers?

Okay, so used the term “budget” in my previous post. I want to make it clear that when it comes to web design, the term “budget” does not mean “cheap”. Budget in this case means estimating how much you are willing to spend and how you are going to spend it. Which sections of the site can you do yourself and when will you need professional help for your web design in? What CMS are you going to use? What free tools can you make use of?

In a time plagued by economic problems, working on a budget is probably the only way a business can survive. Of course, money is a problem nowadays, but it doesn’t have to be, as long as you plan properly and you work with a professional web design company, you should be able to achieve whatever your goals are for your site.

For those who want to save on marketing, it will also help if the web design specialist you get has a clear understanding of search engine optimization and how usability and accessibility of a site can affect its success. This not only ensures that you will not have technical problems with your site; it will also help you when it’s time to fill it with content or promote it afterwards.

Website Design Company in Southern California, Northern California

Website design decides the success or failure of your online business. When your life depends on it, it is natural that you should choose the top website design company in Southern California, Northern California. At Urban Geko, we are undisputed field experts in graphic design. Your requirement for website design in Southern California and website design in Northern California might be small or quite big. You might be running a tiny home business or you might be a large corporation having branches all over the world. We assess all your needs for website design in Southern California and website design in Northern California and we compute the market niche you are in. We calculate the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors. Then we design something special for you. That is why we hold the name as the most professional web design company in Southern California, Northern California.

As leaders of website design in Southern California and website design in Northern California, our experts cater to all your needs. Right from the smallest logo design to smart presentations in flash, PowerPoint and multimedia to highly specialized animations and media designs, you get everything from us. Design with Distinction – we believe in that. Our clients agree with us. Do you really want your business to flourish? Call us right now, the best web design company in Southern California, Northern California. You will never be disappointed.

Web Design Company in California, Los Angeles & Orange County

Today, all of us virtually live on the Internet. Whether we are sellers of products or services or buyers, nothing moves without the net. The web world has made the real world a very small village. With millions of websites existing out there, you would be nowhere unless you really stand out. That is where you need the services of an expert web design company California like us. Your need might be just a logo design or a multimedia presentation or a flash website. Whatever is your requirement of web design California, our specialization cuts across all media and every platform.

Our motto says it all – Design with Distinction. We have the reputation of the best web design company California, the finest web design company Los Angeles and the most excellent web design company Orange County. You do not need to take our word on this. Have a look at what our clients say about us. When it comes to web design California or web design Los Angeles or web design Orange County, we are far ahead of competition. Our solutions reflect the latest web design trends, contain contemporary information and are tailor-made to all your web design California business needs. Talk to us now. Feel the difference.